on the left side of your screen the obama vicry party in chicago. on the right, the scene outside the gates of the white house. a night of celebration for democrats as a fiercely competitive race to lead the country for the next four years reaches the finish line, perhaps sooner than either side expected. good morning, everyone, i'm lynn berry. barack obama has been re-elected president, and just as many thought, it all came down to

just one swing state, ohio. the front page of this morning's "usa today" reads obama triumphs. just after 11:00 p.m. eastern last night nbc news projected the president had won ohio and therefore clinched the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat former massachusetts governor mitt romney. now despite a bitter campaign between the two, mr. romney offered a concession and kind words as he accepted the results. >> i have just called president obama to congratulate him on his victory. his supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. i wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady, and their daughters. this is a time of great challenges for america, and i pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation. >> and then it was the president's turn. he and his family walked out on stage early this morning to cries of four more years.

>> tonight more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. tonight in this election you, the american people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the united states of america, the best is yet to come. >> and we're going to hear more from both men in just a few moments but, first, let's go over to nbc tracie pots who is live from obama headquarters in chicago. tracie, no doubt this was a hard

fought battle for president obama. >> absolutely, lynn. now the cleanup here at victory headquarters. the end of a campaign but the beginning of a second term for president obama. a birth of emotion here on the floor when it was announced that the president was the projected winner of this long and hard fought race. there was a lot of applause when he finally came out. a lot of time in the 20 minute speech was spent talking about unity among americans saying that we're not a nation of red and blue states, we are the united states of america. he talked about a vision for the country, and he talked about hope. it was quite reminiscent of his speech four years ago after his first victory. he said that we're not talking about blind hope but grounded in what america can do. he also talked to those who did not vote for him, which is pretty much half the country, saying that even though they didn't vote for him, he listened and he learned and it made him a

better president and you can guarantee the applause throughout that speech. governor romney, he says, fought for the country that he loved and that his family's public service should be honored today. president obama leaving chicago, his hometown this afternoon, with his family, still president of the united states. lynn. >> all right, tracie pots there for us in chicago. let's go over to nbc's danielle leigh who is at rom if i headquarters. danielle, it was a graceful concession speech. >> it was, lynn. people here expressed disappointment as they filed out. all of that excitement replaces this quiet disappointment. this ballroom cleared out very quickly after mitt romney spoke. a brief appearance that he made here at the convention center in boston. he thanked everyone for their support. he expressed disappointment that he is not going to be the next u.s. president. he also congratulated president barack obama but the most important thing people heard for him was the call to those who were elected to work together

and to reach across the table and find solutions to those problems that have been playing congress, specifically the fiscal cliff, and that's something supporters hearsay they hope will happen. reporting live in boston, i'm danielle leigh. lynn, back to you. thanks so much. let's go to meteorologist bill karins who is live for us in democracy plaza. bill, good morning to you. people still hanging around there? >> they're starting to break up. they're starting to take some stuff down on the buildings. the ice is still painted with all the red and blue states. it was quite the scene and quite the event. we're going from at that election day forecast into this nor'easter. of course, we still have the big concerns out there with the people in the coastal areas of new jersey and all through long island. as far as the storm goes, it's starting to grow in intensity. from about noon today until about midnight is when the winds will be strongest along the costa long with that cold rain. inland areas will get some snow out of this. we could see some accumulating

snow and additional power outages with that heavy wet snow. central new jersey, north and west of the new york city area could also get a couple of in inches of accumulating snow. the power outages could be cruel. some people got their power back. 50 to 750-mile-per-hour gusts are possible. looks like coastal areas of new jersey that were hit hard will get gusts of 50 miles an hour. there will be minimal damage from the wind but more worried about the high tide cycles with the waves. temperatures are plenty cold enough especially in interior sections of connecticut, southern new york, west new jersey. temperatures in the 20s and 30s. that's where we'll have the best chances of accumulation of snow. a lot of airports planning on closing down as we go throughout the day today. if you look at the snowfall totals. it's away from the coast and the mountainous areas of the poconos and the cat skills and it ends

into the berkshires. that's a look at the national forecast. now here's a look outside your window. well, today's forecast, besides the nor'easter, it's actually a pretty nice day out there throughout many areas of the country. we will see early morning rain around baltimore, washington, d.c., wet snowflakes, no major accumulations expected. so, lynn, the good news about this nor'easter, it looks like it's in and out in 24 hours and a nice calm peefrd for everyone trying to recover in areas of the northeast. >> we'll hope for that. bill, thanks so much. well, there were some very big congressional races all across the country. we'll tell you all about them. plus, it was finally the first night in over a year where the political ads, the nasty charges, and grandstanding had ceased. the sight of the winners basking in their victories with family and their friends, democracy at work. you're watching "early today." i was once used for small jobs.

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well, this morning democrats are celebrating president obama's re-election and their victory in maintaining control of the senate. that is thanks to a series of razor close wins. congress will still be divided as republicans held onto the house. so among the night's narrow wins. elizabeth warren ousted republican senator scott brown in massachusetts. >> an amazing campaign. and let me be clear, i didn't build that, you built that. and despite the odds, you elected the first woman senator to the state of massachusetts. >> well, to brown who conveyed

his gratitude in his concession speech last night. take a listen. >> let me tell you something, i have left everything in this battle and i'll tell you what, i just want to thank you for the opportunity. and whatever, whatever the future holds, i am a fortunate man to be where i've been. well, another high profile, hard fought win for the democrats. senator claire mccaskill. she held on to her seat in new jersey after he republican congressman's todd akin comments made headlines. >> it's over. it's done. it's too red. it's just too red. there is no way that claire mccaskill can survive. well, you know what happened, you proved them wrong. and in connecticut congressman christopher murphy

defeated former wrestle iing ce linda mcmahon. she spent her own money on a lost senate bid back in 2010, but she did manage to strike a positive tone last night. >> a good race and i'm really proud of the effort that we had. well, coming up, affirmative action, smoking marijuana for pleasure, and defining marriage. how did the states vote? plus, president obama's vision for american over the next four years and beyond in his own words. and of course we're watching this nor'easter that's going to be heading off the new jersey coast line. the problem will be the high waves. you're watching "early today." one. two. three. my credit card rewards are easy to remember. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card,

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so in addition to all the candidates, there were 176 initiatives on the ballot in 38 states around the country in this 2012 election. this is how some of the more controversial ones turned out. measures legalizing same-sex marriage were voted on in three states. in the state of maine it was approved by a clear majority.

voters in maryland also said yes to gay marriage with over 50% of the vote. in washington state people also approved same-sex marriage, which was already legal in six states and the district of columbia. and in minnesota the voters rejected putting a ban on gay marriage in the state constitution. meanwhile, voters in colorado approved allowing adults to possess small amounts of marijuana under state regulation and taxation. in oregon people voted strongly against legalizing marijuana. while in washington state voters strongly approved the legal use of pot. to arkansas now where residents voted no to using marijuana for medical purposes, while in massachusetts medical marijuana use was okayed by an overwhelming margin. and marijuana use for medical patients was expanded in montana. and finally in oklahoma, voters approved a measure that wipes out all affirmative action programs in state government hiring, education, and

contracting practices. well, just ahead, bill is going to have another check of your weather, and hear more from president obama and governor romney as their historic campaigns came to a close. you're watching "early today." so, what hap pens if i'm in an accident and need to get my car fixed? progressive makes it easy, because we give you choices. you can pick where to get your car fixed, we can cut you a check, or, at our service center, we take care of everything for you. [ relaxing music playing ] [ chuckles ] -whew, so many choices. -take your time. -the service center. -okay. giving you choices -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean. with tide pods.

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well, welcome back to "early today."

i'm meteorologist bill karins live in democracy plaza where last night history was made. we're hoping this nor'easter off the jersey shore doesn't make history. we're starting to watch the heavier rain bands off the coast of maryland and delaware. they'll be moving up to hard hit new jersey along with large waves and we expect additional power outages. that will be the thing to watch today. the rest of the country looks pretty nice. the middle of the nation through the south, everyone is looking for a nice wednesday into thursday. there's not a lot of troublesome weather ahead once we get rid of the nor'easter that will be affecting areas from new jersey to new england from now all the way to tomorrow morning, lynn. >> all right. bill. thanks so much. let's get back to the big story of the morning. we know many of you may not have been awake to hear president obama and governor romney's moving remarks. let's give you a listen. here is president obama's victory speech. >> i believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who

you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love, it doesn't matter whether you're black or white, or hispanic or asian, ornatetive american, or young or old, or rich or poor, able disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in america if you're willing to try. i believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggest. we're not as cynical as the pundants believe. we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. we are and forever will be the united states of america. and together with your help and god's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on earth. >> and now to governor romney

thanking supporters and his running mate, congressman paul ryan, during a gracious concession speech. >> like so many of you, paul and i have left everything on the field. we have given our all to this campaign. i so wish, i so wish that i had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader and so ann and i join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation. thank you and god bless america. and just as you are react g reacting, reaction from around the world to president obama's re-election victory is pouring in this morning. nbc's michelle kosinski is live in london. michelle, good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, lynn. it is a strong reaction. it's on the front page of the british paper "the guardian

"america's verdict. it was incredible watching british network's coverage of the election. it started before midnight, went all night with live coverage of the results. and to see it, you would think you were watching an american broadcast. that level of depth and detail. i mean, in some cases they were giving county by county results in ohio. can you imagine us in the states doing that for, say, a british or french election? and there were watch parties all over the world of course lasting into the wee hours. we walked into a pub here in london at 4:30 a.m. and found people cheering, not american ex-pats, and asked them, are you aware that it's 4:30 in the morning and that this is not your own country's election. they laughed and said, yes, it might be strange to the american viewer but they felt their leader's relationship with the american leader is vital to

their well-being and it has a definite affect on the global economy. lynn. >> still celebrating, 4:30 in the morning. not bad. michelle, you're looking good for being up that early as well. thanks so much. social media took this year's election to a level that no one has ever seen before. guiding public opinion and often setting the agenda. when the election was over, president obama's twitter account officially became the most retweeted in history. that picture right there. we also heard from some who created a great deal of controversy, including donald trump who tweeted, this election is a total sham and a travesty. we are not a democracy. and other people weighed in. this from act tore, musician and comedian steve martin. he tweeted to commemorate obama's victory, i'm he having a tea party. i'm glad he weighed in. i'm lynn berry, this is just your first stop today on your nbc station.

>> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> good morning. things are pretty quiet right now. we're watching a big storm coming up the coast. 35 in parkton. the temperatures are not going to move much today. the rain will move been the next hour or a two. a mix of rain and snow showers. some may stick in the northern suburbs.

it will be above freezing. more on this later. >> 4:57. >> we have a complete team coverage of the election. >> a hard-fought victory for president obama. >> driving marylanders to the polls. what past and by how much -- what passed and by how ♪ [ female announcer ] nature exists on the grandest scale... ♪ ...and in the tiniest details. ♪ and sometimes both. nature valley granola thins pack the big taste of granola and dark chocolate into one perfect square,

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[captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you're watching wbal-tv 11. live, local, late-breaking. this is 11 news today at 5:00 a.m. >> whether i urge your vote or not, i have listened to you. i have learned